


Anywhere

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Post-War, Running Away, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8268293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: And when Draco looked at him, icy-grey eyes burning, grip strong around his waist, Harry felt so very loved. And he knew that Draco needed him too. That Draco loved him as much as he loved him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I wrote fanfiction (not that long, but still) and I am not all that happy with this. But, well, it's not that bad. I think.
> 
> Title taken from the song, "Anywhere" by Evanescence. I love that song.

Another fight.

There really wasn’t any other option for them. Harry was terrified and Draco had his life to think of. They couldn’t just come out. There were too many things that could go terribly wrong and they were still kids. Kids who had to go through a war.

So fights in the hallways, insults thrown back and forth with an undercurrent of _i need you i miss you,_ heated glances, sneaking out—this was their life. The public’s opinion of the tormented hero, their need to _protect_ him by lashing out at any and every Death Eater made it difficult for them to actually try to voice out their thoughts, forced them to hide their feelings and Harry was starting to get tired.

They were 21.                    

It had taken a long time for Hogwarts to be rebuilt to her former glorious self and they weren’t able to take their NEWT year at once because there were too many students already and too many things had to be taken care of. They had been called back this year by Headmistress McGonagall and about thirty students had replied. That was the total strength of their year. Thirty.

Draco and Harry were a part of the thirty. There had been a huge protest of outrage when it was made public that Draco Malfoy was going to return to Hogwarts but a glare from McGonagall and her silent admonishment of “petty fighting after going through a long and painful war” had calmed the storm some. The students still looked down at Draco and poisonous whispers were heard when no teacher was around, but Draco never looked twice. He held his head high and toiled throughout the year.

But Harry knew how much the words cut the Slytherin. The two of them had become sort-of-friends after the war and had met up frequently in out-of-the-way places, each having his own reasons to want the quiet. In the beginning, they never talked. It was always stolen glances and nods (and the secret smiles when one was sure that the other was not looking) and Harry did not expect it to change. He had things to think of—the War; his break-up with Ginny, which, though it had been mutual and amicable, tore him apart for weeks; the way everyone seemed to move on, slowly but surely; his intense feeling of purposelessness; life was not very steady. There were a lot of ups and downs. And Draco had to think of his future, his career, helping his family (his need for reassurance and his sense of hopelessness, about which Harry learnt of afterwards); both of them had too many things on their minds. Subconsciously though, they saw each other’s presence as a constant in their shaky lives. It was hard. It was difficult. Life was painful. But as long as Harry saw Draco, life felt normal. Things made sense in a weird way.

And then one day, they started talking. Nothing particular. It started with ridiculous gossips and rumours, shifted to twenty-questions and suddenly, they were each other’s diary. Draco thanked Harry for his testimony the same day Harry returned Draco’s wand with a silent thank you. They made it a point to at least ask each other about their day and if one of them felt too tired, the other always stayed by him, a silent and solid comfort in the crumbling world. That was how they worked.

When they were called to Hogwarts, there was no question on Harry’s side. He had made the decision long ago. He needed to go. But he didn’t know what Draco was going to do. He wanted the blonde to go with him but he didn’t think Draco would want to go to a place where he would be scorned, where he wouldn’t be safe. Not that the real world was any better, but Hogwarts meant dorms and Common Room and classes and dark hallways where no teacher might be around to protect him. No protected Manor for him to seek refuge in.

But Draco surprised him by turning up at the station, a silent nod the only acknowledgement.

They became lovers the next week.

A kiss stolen in the Astronomy Tower after a long talk and tears and the two of them couldn’t have been happier. They sneaked out whenever they could but it was the ‘fights’ and public confrontations that lasted longer. They used any and every excuse to touch each other then and at one point, Harry was sure that Hermione and Ginny knew what was going on (their hugs and whispers of “it’s alright” only strengthened his suspicion).

Right then, they were walking out of the Headmistress’s office, McGonagall’s scolding and disappointed gaze burnt behind Harry’s eyes. He wanted to tell her, wanted her to know that they had grown up, that they were not being kids. He wanted her to know how much they had changed, how different things were. But he was scared. His childhood haunted him as much as he pushed it away and the faint echo of _faggot_ and _pansy-boy_ made him burn with shame and anger and even though he knew that his uncle was so very wrong about so many things, he still felt like a kid.

Being with Draco felt right though. Those few moments with him made him feel so much better, so much happier. He knew that what they had was something precious, something real. In those moments, he felt content. He felt alive. He needed Draco. And when Draco looked at him, icy-grey eyes burning, grip strong around his waist, Harry felt so very loved. And he knew that Draco needed him too. That Draco loved him as much as he loved him.

“Let’s run away.” Draco’s voice broke through his contemplation.

Harry blinked as he looked up at his lover. And as his words registered in Harry’s brain, he stopped abruptly before staring at him, open-mouthed.

“What?” Harry was stunned.

“Let’s run away love.” Murmured Draco, pulling him in as they reached the hidden alcove that Harry considered as theirs.

“What are you talking about?” Demanded Harry, eyes wide open, _“We can’t just do that!”_

“Why not?” Asked Draco, as if the proposition was not insane in the least. “We have money. We have each other. We don’t really want to be here. Why shouldn’t we go elsewhere, together?”

“We can’t do that Draco. That’s not how things work.” Harry shook his head even as his traitorous brain supplied him with images of a quaint cottage near the sea and a happy life with the person he loved.

“But we can.” Insisted Draco, staring at him, gaze intense, “I am tired of hiding. I don’t want us to live a lie or live in fear of the world. You are Harry Potter and you will always be the Saviour. I am a Malfoy. A traitor. They’ll never see me as anything but evil. But Harry, I don’t want that to separate us. I don’t want us to hide away and I can see how much all of this is pulling you down. I’m not blind you know. And Harry, I want to love you. I want to show you how much you deserve to live the life you want and I want to do it without being killed for doing it. So, will you please go with me? We can go anywhere.”

Harry looked into those eyes, the eyes that had drawn him in no matter how hard he had fought and he found it difficult to deny him anything. Rationally, he knew that it was not a practical idea and knew that it would mean sacrifices. But looking at his lover, he felt a spark of hope, of life, coming to life. He nodded slowly and watched as the smile grew even as he lay down rules about when they would leave and who they should keep touch with.

And, okay, maybe the whole idea was mad. Maybe they were both barking. Maybe it would all end in a disaster.

But right then, he couldn’t help but think that he had made the right choice, that they would survive this.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and leave kudos if you liked it!


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